


and the petals, like blood

by roxy5938



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Bc shes the only one with lines who isn't edel, Character Death, F for linny, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Love u bro, Other, also spoilers for CF, no beta we die like Glenn, perhaps.....
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:01:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23393701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roxy5938/pseuds/roxy5938
Summary: everything comes to an end, even to those who do not wish it, and endings change those who least expect too.
Relationships: Caspar von Bergliez/Linhardt von Hevring, Dorothea Arnault/Petra Macneary, Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth, Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra, Leonie Pinelli/Bernadetta von Varley, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Raphael Kirsten/Ignatz Victor
Comments: 5
Kudos: 53





	and the petals, like blood

**Author's Note:**

> hey yall I wrote this in like august and procrastinated until now so  
> hehe  
> anyways take my edeleth bc i tried lol

It had truly come to an end, then. 

The Immaculate One, no longer the archbishop, but a monstrous creature that towered over the combined might of both her and her teacher. 

Flames raged at their feet, the byproduct of Rhea’s inhumane plan to turn the capital of Fhirdiad into a burning battleground. Edelgard knew they had to finish this soon, for she could hear the sounds of the rest of the Black Eagle Strike Force fighting viciously against those accused golems.

_They’re giving everything so that we can end it, my teacher._

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Byleth stagger a little as she deflected yet another glancing blow from Rhea’s claws. Despite her knowing that her dear professor was more than capable, she could not help her heart seemingly starting to beat more erratically than ever before; yet Byleth recovered almost flawlessly and landed a hard hit to the base of the dragon’s wing, causing Rhea to let out another ungodly screech. 

The Immaculate One reared up onto two legs, yet instead of slashing down, as the empress had suspected, merely beat her wings frenziedly in an effort to recover what ground she had lost. 

**“Give it back!”** the beast screeched with panting breaths.

Rage burned in Edelgard’s gut.

“When humanity stands strong, and people reach out for each other… there’s no need for gods,” she stated, voice as cold as unsheathed steel. “Rhea. Your reign of tyranny is over.”

The beast reared up onto giant pale hindquarters, and opened its maw with a sound like wind through a canyon. 

Turning to Byleth, lavender eyes meeting pale jade; equally resolute in gaze; they shared a look of resolved determination.

“The time has come.” Edelgard intones. 

Blood roaring in her ears, her exhausted body obeying the wills of her mind, she dodges Rhea’s searing breath and rolls to ground; Byleth doing the same a little ways away. 

As the crest stone within Aymr shone like a second dawn alongside the glow of the Sword of the Creator, her roaring blood calmed.

_“I’m ending this once and for all!”_

_For her friends, her precious siblings, her dear sweet professor… she was doing this for **them**._

Twin yells rang out over the seething flames, combining with the sickening splinter and crack of dragon scale and bone under the combined might of two Relics, as finally, _finally,_ the one responsible for everything, fell to the stone ground with the scraping of wing-bone and an ear-splitting _boom._

Emerald blood spilled round the head of the dead beast, the pool steadily growing ever larger even as she stood before it.

“Is… is it over..?” She turns to Byleth, hope rising in her chest-

Before it crashes down with the sight of Byleth falling to the floor with a pained exhale.

_No no no no no **no-**_

Her heart turned to ice, she gently turns Byleth over in her arms and desperately placed her ear to her chest, hoping, praying, for something, _anything—_

Nothing.

The sound of the others approaching is drowned out by her devastated cries. She barely hears Caspar’s enraged yell and Ferdinand’s exclaimed disbelief, nor does she feel Dorothea’s gentle hand at her shoulder, the brunette guiding the empress into her arms so Mercedes can kneel at the fallen professor's side; Jeritza just behind her, something akin to mournfulness on his usually blank face. 

Unbeknownst to them, things are changing for their professor.

—————————————————————

_Black._

_Everything’s dark._

_A soft sound ... a voice?_

_Gently chiding, sisterly._

_“This will be… my final gift to you, my dear. You have many waiting for you; all of your students, the little ones you cherish with all your soul.”_

_Her heart… her still, unbeating heart… **burns.** _

_A feeling like a fleeting kiss; feather light and brief, but full of tenderness and mournful goodbyes._

_A smiling face, dissolving into gold, shining light-_

_And then–_

_**Thump.** _

—————————————————————

**_Thump._ **

The crimson empress flinches over where she is rested on the former mercenary’s chest.

Her head raises, praying to anyone; anything, that she did not imagine it. 

Dorothea looks into her eyes again, sorrowful emeralds filled with tears, and speaks gently to her.

“You felt it too, didn’t you, Edie?”

Edelgard nods frantically into Dorothea’s arms, not trusting her voice to convey the urgency.

At this, the songstress carefully removes her arms from around her dear friend, leaving Edelgard to gather Byleth gently into her arms and once again place her head over her heart.

Yet this time-

Her eyes widen.

_She’s alive._

Euphoria gathers in her chest, and she lets out a gasping laugh of relief. Reaching for Byleth’s face, her hand gently cups her head, and brings it up to rest on an armoured shoulder.

Edelgard tightens her grip on her beloved, finally able to relax in the security of her cherished friends and someone, perhaps, much more. The Strike Force is laughing, sharing words and relief at the end of their long fought battle. 

(Linhardt gasps lightly as Caspar picks him up bodily and holds him tight; but does not complain; instead looks contentedly at the war master and begins to nap; Petra has time to discard her long-broken sword before Dorothea gathers her in an embrace; Hubert, seemingly cold as ever, blushes up to his ears in the red light as Ferdinand grabs him and kisses him full on; while Bernadetta is content to stay on her own before being coerced by Leonie into Dorothea’s rapidly growing ‘hug group’. Ignatz and Raphael seem to step away, before conferring in sweet words meant for them alone.)

She does not notice the divine green leaving Byleth’s hair.

Nor does she see the tears falling from her violet eyes.

But Byleth moves from Edelgard’s shoulder, jolting the empress into movement; allowing her to see the professor’s now cast-off divinity.

Violet eyes meet lavender.

“You’re beautiful.” says Edelgard.

“So are you.” is said in response, as Byleth lets out a small laugh.

But to the empress, that laugh was worth all of the hells they had been through.

Together.


End file.
